Reporter Andrew Kaczynski wrote Wednesday that Reddit user “HanA**holeSolo” created the video of Trump, which was retweeted by the president on Sunday

Receive the latest national-international updates in your inbox

A CNN reporter is pushing back against critics, including Donald Trump Jr., who are suggesting that he blackmailed the Reddit user who created a video of President Donald Trump pummeling a man with the CNN logo superimposed on his face.

Reporter Andrew Kaczynski wrote Wednesday that Reddit user “HanA**holeSolo” created the video of Trump, which was tweeted by the president on Sunday.

HanA**holeSolo later took down the post and wrote an apology for posting the video and other anti-Semitic and racist posts, CNN reported. NBC News has not been able to verify the identity of HanA**holeSolo.

In his report, Kaczynski wrote CNN had confirmed the Reddit user’s identity, but would not publish his name, “because he is a private citizen who has issued an extensive statement of apology, showed his remorse by saying he has taken down all his offending posts, and because he said he is not going to repeat this ugly behavior on social media again.”

The network defended its reporting in a statement Wednesay, writing: "CNN decided not to publish the name of the Reddit user out of concern for his safety. Any assertion that the network blackmailed or coerced him is false. The user, who is an adult male, not a 15-year-old boy, apologized and deleted his account before ever speaking with our reporter.”

Trump Jr. posted a number of critical tweets about the language in Kaczynski’s report, including one that suggested — without evidence — that the Reddit user who made the video is 15 years old.

On Twitter, Kaczynski defended his report, writing the Reddit user is middle aged and saying the caveat of releasing his name was only meant to convey that CNN had not made an agreement with him about releasing his identity.

“This line is being misinterpreted. It was intended only to mean we made no agreement w/the man about his identity,” he wrote in one tweet.